"I am pretty embroiled in moving on and moving forward with music"
About this Quote
There is something almost comically modest about “pretty embroiled,” a phrase that makes forward motion sound like a sticky, ongoing tussle. Andy Summers isn’t selling reinvention as a clean narrative arc; he’s admitting it’s messy work. “Moving on and moving forward” doubles the idea on purpose: moving on suggests leaving something behind (a band, an era, a myth), while moving forward suggests curiosity and appetite. Put together, they read like a veteran’s refusal to be embalmed by his own legacy.
The subtext is a quiet rejection of nostalgia’s business model. Summers will always be tethered to The Police in the public imagination, a band whose catalog has been canonized into classic-rock permanence. That permanence can become a trap: fans want the same chords, the same sheen, the same story. “Embroiled” signals he’s fighting that gravitational pull, not just drifting away from it. It’s also a subtle flex: only someone with a deep body of work can talk about progress as an ongoing obligation rather than a career pivot.
Context matters here because Summers’ post-Police life has been defined by lateral exploration - jazz, ambient textures, collaborations, photography - the kinds of pursuits that don’t necessarily pay in arena-sized validation. The line frames creativity as process over product, motion over monument. It’s a musician insisting that the interesting part isn’t what made you famous; it’s what you’re still willing to risk sounding like now.
The subtext is a quiet rejection of nostalgia’s business model. Summers will always be tethered to The Police in the public imagination, a band whose catalog has been canonized into classic-rock permanence. That permanence can become a trap: fans want the same chords, the same sheen, the same story. “Embroiled” signals he’s fighting that gravitational pull, not just drifting away from it. It’s also a subtle flex: only someone with a deep body of work can talk about progress as an ongoing obligation rather than a career pivot.
Context matters here because Summers’ post-Police life has been defined by lateral exploration - jazz, ambient textures, collaborations, photography - the kinds of pursuits that don’t necessarily pay in arena-sized validation. The line frames creativity as process over product, motion over monument. It’s a musician insisting that the interesting part isn’t what made you famous; it’s what you’re still willing to risk sounding like now.
Quote Details
| Topic | Moving On |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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